1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to platforms and, in particular, to a method and apparatus for monitoring platforms. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for monitoring the health and function of platform systems and subsystems.
2. Background
A platform may take the form of, for example, without limitation, a mobile platform, a stationary platform, a land-based structure, an aquatic-based structure, a space-based structure, an aircraft, a submarine, a bus, a personnel carrier, a tank, a train, an automobile, a spacecraft, a space station, a satellite, a surface ship, and/or some other suitable platform. The reliability of a platform is important to the operation and use of the platform.
For example, with aircraft, it is desirable to know when different components of the aircraft may need maintenance. The maintenance may be performed using maintenance schedules. With the scheduled maintenance, unscheduled interruptions in the use of the aircraft may be avoided. Even with the scheduled maintenance, components may require replacement or maintenance at times other than those indicated by schedules. As a result, an aircraft may be out of service at unplanned times. This situation may require having additional aircraft or delays in transporting passengers or cargo, or performing its mission.
Additionally, health monitoring systems are used to monitor various systems of a platform. Current health monitoring systems monitor components for indications that the component is not operating at a desired level of performance. The monitoring of a platform is performed by gathering information from these different components or sensors associated with the components and comparing their raw or processed output with a set threshold. This set threshold may be identified based on engineering analysis which disregards impact of other factors to the sensor raw data and the processed output. Currently available health monitoring systems receive and process large amounts of data from sensors for use in assessing the health of different systems and components in a platform.
Currently available health monitoring systems use limited sets of data from specific on-board sensors or sources to assess the health of a platform. For example, the health of a particular system may be derived from data collected from a particular set of sensors. Other available on-board and off-board data related to the health of the platform are not used in identifying the health of that system. Such data is not used currently due to complexity of physical correlation of the sensor data and inefficiency of processing large volumes of data with existing methods.
Currently available systems, however, may not provide an identification of the health of a vehicle with a desired amount of accuracy. When the accuracy does not meet desired levels, increased maintenance may occur. This increased maintenance may be due to missed, false, or late identification of inconsistencies in the vehicle. For example, if maintenance needed for a transmission system of a vehicle is not identified with the desired amount of accuracy, maintenance may not be performed on the correct component, resulting in unnecessary maintenance, increased maintenance cost, and reduced aircraft availability. As a result, additional parts, equipment, labor, and time may be needed to perform maintenance and obtain the desired performance from the transmission system.
Still further, data collected from the sensors can be influenced by maintenance actions that have taken place on a component. As a result of maintenance, changes in the output of the sensors incorrectly can appear to exceed set fault thresholds without actual part failure. Current health monitoring systems cannot distinguish between sensor output change due to maintenance on the vehicle or sensor output change due to the change in the part operational conditions.
Current health monitoring systems process only sensor data and do not take advantage on observations by crew and maintainers. For example, the crew can state that there was a smell of fumes around wirings. This piece of information for diagnosing an issue is not included in current sensor based diagnostics systems.
Therefore, it would be advantageous to have a method and apparatus that addresses one or more of the issues discussed above, as well as possibly other issues.